Due to the heavy rain that have devastated a lot of towns and cities in the Philippines for the past week, the chances of having our electronic gadgets like laptops, tablets, cellphones and even appliances like television have become casualties of the disaster. For a lot of people, this could only mean the end of these electronic device's lives as it has become filled with dirt and even mud. However, this does not entirely get our precious and hard earned devices to not work again. Most of the time, it's the things that we do after they get soaked and wet that destroys these gadgets. So I have compiled a few useful tips that you can use when your gadgets ever get wet and soaked by flood or any other means.
5. Remove the battery.
Mobile devices have batteries on them so you would still be able to use them without plugging in to a power source (hence the term "mobile", heh). And for majority of these gadgets, the battery is oftentimes removable such as in most cellphones, laptops, gaming consoles, some tablets, etc. When your gadget comes in contact with water, it is always best to remove the power source to prevent short circuits within the gadget. As we all know, water is a good conductor of electricity (in most case, we'll get to that later) and it allows the electricity coming out of the battery to be distributed to areas that do not need the energy, or it needs to be regulated. Allowing this to happen by turning on your gadget and not removing the battery could potentially destroy your unit causing it to be unusable at all.
4. Rinse it with distilled water.
Yes. You might think this is a direct contradiction to the first step but in actuality, it isn't. A water that has undergone the distillation process contains none of the impurities that normal water has, especially flood water. These "untreated" water contains minerals that helps in conduction thus aiding in the uneven distribution of electricity throughout the device. Rinsing or soaking your flooded gadget in distilled water flushes these residues out of your electronic device.
3. Let it dry.
This part, my friends, requires your utmost patience. As you will have to leave your precious gadgets alone to dry for a good few days or even weeks to actually let the water evaporate from all parts of your device. And because your have rinsed your device with distilled water, you will be sure that there are no residues left on your gadget. Do not let your itchy fingers ruin this moment! As this will be one of the crucial moments of your gadget's life and may be the deciding factor of your gadget's fate. Another thing you can try is to dip your gadget on a bowl of rice. Rice is know to absorb moisture, and can help in your cause of letting your flooded gadget dry.
2. Turn it on.
After making sure that your device is completely dry, this is the time you can reattach your battery and turn it on. Now if you have left your gadget to dry long enough, the chance of it turning on again are high. If your device turns on after letting it dry long enough, congratulations. You have successfully saved your gadget from doom. If it does not turn on, then it's probably time to consider step number 1.
1. Insurance and data recovery.
If your gadget is still under the warranty period, you have a good chance of having your broken gadget replaced. If the device isn't covered by the warranty anymore, then you can consider consulting a specialist so that you can have your data recovered. Most of the time, any kind of data stored in your device can still be recovered, and for most of us folks, this is the most important thing.
So there you go, folks. These are just some of the things that you can do to save your precious electronic devices. Hope it helps.
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